Spicy Chai blends Assam black tea with the robust flavors of ginger, black pepper and cardamom and the mellow essence of cinnamon and clove.

All about Spicy Chai, Loose Leaf Chai

What it’s like, and how to make it

CaffeineMedium caffeine
TypeChai
FlavourMalty
CharacterSpiced
What’s in itAssam black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, star anise, peppercorn, cloves, orange peel, coriander seeds, ginger bits.

Perfect for

  • Latte ready
  • Waking up
How to brew it
  • 212°F / 100°C
  • Steep 4–5 minutes
  • Use 1 tsp per 8oz
  • Or simmer in milk for five minutes for the masala style

Beyond the cup

The most versatile chai in the collection — 10 spices means 10 bridges to your kitchen. Steep strong and use as a poaching liquid for pears or peaches. Infuse into cream for chai custard, ice cream, or French toast batter. Swap for pumpkin spice in any baking recipe — the fennel and star anise add complexity you won’t get from a jar. Makes a killer chai simple syrup for pancakes or cocktails.

  • Spicy Chai loose leaf tea, shown over a chalk-and-watercolour illustration
  • Illustration: Spicy Chai with an Indian railway platform at dawn
  • Illustration of Spicy Chai in The Tea & Spice Shoppe pouch, with an Indian railway platform at dawn
  • Spicy Chai - The Tea & Spice Shoppe
  • Spicy Chai - The Tea & Spice Shoppe

What’s in it

Every herb in the blend, and where to read about it on its own.

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Cardamom

    Elettaria cardamomum

    Green pods holding small black seeds, from a ginger-family plant of the Western Ghats — floral, resinous and eucalyptus-cool, quite unlike anything else in the cupboard. It is the third most expensive spice in the world after saffron and vanilla, which is why it is...

    Floral, resinous, eucalyptus-cool and sweet-warm; the main volatiles are terpinyl acetate and eucalyptol

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Cinnamon

    Cinnamomum verum, C. burmannii, C. loureiroi

    The inner bark of a laurel tree, peeled, dried and curled into quills. Three different trees are sold under the one name, and the shop carries all three: Ceylon (Cinnamomum verum), the soft, papery, floral one from Sri Lanka; Korintje (C. burmannii) from the Kerinci...

    Sweet, woody, warm — Ceylon floral and citrusy, Korintje smooth and familiar, Saigon bold and fiery-sweet

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Herb · Caffeine-free

    Fennel

    Foeniculum vulgare

    A sweet, anise-scented seed — the anethole in it is the same compound that makes anise and star anise taste the way they do, though the three plants are unrelated. Fennel is the sausage seed and the after-dinner seed at once: nineteen products here carry...

    Sweet, anise-like, green and warm; toasted seeds pop and deepen

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Black Pepper

    Piper nigrum

    The dried unripe berry of a climbing vine — the mill on every table, and the most travelled object in any kitchen. Black, white and green pepper are all the same berry, picked at different moments and treated differently: black is picked unripe and dried...

    Warm, woody, resinous and sharp; the bite is piperine, roughly a hundredth as potent as capsaicin

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Cloves

    Syzygium aromaticum

    An unopened flower bud, picked and dried until it looks like a small nail — which is where the name comes from, via Latin clavus. Cloves are the loudest spice in the cupboard: eugenol makes up somewhere between 45 and 90 per cent of the...

    Hot, sweet, numbing and medicinal-warm

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Herb · Caffeine-free

    Orange Peel

    Citrus sinensis

    Previously dismissed as 'just citrus,' orange peel contains hesperidin — a flavanone with genuine anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular evidence — plus polymethoxyflavones that show remarkable metabolic activity in preclinical studies. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, aged tangerine peel (chen pi) is one of the most prescribed herbs....

    Bright, citrusy, slightly bitter, aromatic

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Coriander

    Coriandrum sativum

    The round, ridged seed of the same plant whose leaf is cilantro — and it tastes nothing like it. Where the leaf is green and divisive, the seed is warm, citrusy and floral, closer to orange peel than to anything herbal. That is why plenty...

    Warm, citrusy and floral, a little sweet — orange peel and pepper together

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Herb · Caffeine-free

    Ginger

    Zingiber officinale

    The universal connector — ginger appears in more products than any other ingredient in the collection. The dried root is chemically distinct from fresh ginger: drying converts gingerols to shogaols, which are about twice as pungent, and that is why dried ginger tastes deeper and...

    Pungent, warm, slightly sweet, citrusy (fresh); warm, mellow, deep (dried)

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Tea · Contains caffeine

    Assam Black Tea

    Camellia sinensis var. assamica

    The maltiest black tea there is, and the reason your breakfast cup tastes the way it does. Assam grows on the floodplain of the Brahmaputra — lowland, at or near sea level, in monsoon rain of 250 to 300 mm a day and daytime heat...

    Malt, biscuit and dark amber; brisk and full-bodied, honey in the tippy grades

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Star Anise

    Illicium verum

    An eight-pointed star, dried, from a tree of the hills of south China and northern Vietnam. It tastes of licorice because it is rich in anethole — the same compound that makes anise seed and fennel taste the way they do, though the three plants...

    Licorice warmth, sweet and intense — the strongest of the anethole spices

    Learn more Sold on its own

Every ingredient in the shop →

What it goes with

The street food chai. Sip alongside samosas, pakoras, or anything you’d season with our Garam Masala — the warm spices in the cup echo the warm spices on the plate. Grab our Cardamom and Ginger for a complete chai-spice baking setup.

Reviews

What the time-travelers say

5.0 from 3 reviews of this one, and 206 of the shop’s 213 are five stars

Write a review

Best chai ever

This is by far the best chai blend I've ever had! Lovely, full bodied and warming. Love the way this makes my house smell when I m…

This is by far the best chai blend I've ever had! Lovely, full bodied and warming. Love the way this makes my house smell when I made tradional chai with it. I originally bought this because go to chai was sold out from a different tea vendor. I'll never go back! This chai blow my socks off!

— Rochelle P.

Wonderful way to start the day!

What a great balance of spices! I tend to be picky when it comes to chai. Whether it is the pepper, orange peel, cinnamon or clove…

What a great balance of spices! I tend to be picky when it comes to chai. Whether it is the pepper, orange peel, cinnamon or cloves, this is a magical blend of which each spice seems to enhance the flavor of another and with every sip, this tea continues to surprise me with delicious aromatic notes. I love to steep this blend in a half-a-cup of boiling water, add about 3/4 cup of hot almond milk, then strain and enjoy. It's great in the morning or a pick-me up with a little honey in the afternoon. You have so many chai offerings but I do hope you continue to carry this one.

— Stacey B.

Best chai blend

I have had many chai tea blends over the years but this ones tops them all. It has the right amount of spicy black pepper to make …

I have had many chai tea blends over the years but this ones tops them all. It has the right amount of spicy black pepper to make it interesting and a perfect composition of the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Brew it strong and use it for chai lattes!

— Tea.granny

Best chai ever

This is by far the best chai blend I've ever had! Lovely, full bodied and warming. Love the way this makes my house smell when I m…

This is by far the best chai blend I've ever had! Lovely, full bodied and warming. Love the way this makes my house smell when I made tradional chai with it. I originally bought this because go to chai was sold out from a different tea vendor. I'll never go back! This chai blow my socks off!

— Rochelle P.

Wonderful way to start the day!

What a great balance of spices! I tend to be picky when it comes to chai. Whether it is the pepper, orange peel, cinnamon or clove…

What a great balance of spices! I tend to be picky when it comes to chai. Whether it is the pepper, orange peel, cinnamon or cloves, this is a magical blend of which each spice seems to enhance the flavor of another and with every sip, this tea continues to surprise me with delicious aromatic notes. I love to steep this blend in a half-a-cup of boiling water, add about 3/4 cup of hot almond milk, then strain and enjoy. It's great in the morning or a pick-me up with a little honey in the afternoon. You have so many chai offerings but I do hope you continue to carry this one.

— Stacey B.

Best chai blend

I have had many chai tea blends over the years but this ones tops them all. It has the right amount of spicy black pepper to make …

I have had many chai tea blends over the years but this ones tops them all. It has the right amount of spicy black pepper to make it interesting and a perfect composition of the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Brew it strong and use it for chai lattes!

— Tea.granny

Great products and great service

I had a slight mix up on my order, they were quick to reply and correct my order with no issues. Amazing service and great…

I had a slight mix up on my order, they were quick to reply and correct my order with no issues. Amazing service and great products.

— Nick C. Verified

Great tea

A lovely, delicate tea. The peach is strong without being overwhelming or cloying, and the calendula is a nice addition. Very…

A lovely, delicate tea. The peach is strong without being overwhelming or cloying, and the calendula is a nice addition. Very tasty!

— Zoe R. Verified

Maple Peach

The maple peach is delicious. What a beautiful combination. I will most definitely order it again, and a higher quantity of it.

— Gerda S. Verified

Always handy

I use dillweed often. This dill is fresh and has a nice aroma. I use it in marinades, salad dressings, and on fish. Good stuff.

— Jennifer D. Verified

Great stuff

This has helped my household a lot with circulation and alertness when we had it everyday. Will be ordering again soon. Thanks

— Dave G. Verified

Love this tea. Hands down my fav rooibos. This store is our one-stop-shop for tea and spice. Great service, top notch product.…

Love this tea. Hands down my fav rooibos. This store is our one-stop-shop for tea and spice. Great service, top notch product. 10/10!!

— Erin Poeta P. Verified

Delicious

I love this black tea, it has a really nice smooth flavour and love how it’s Swiss water method decaf. Will be buying again!

— Jessica A. Verified

Great flavorful tea

Toffee Ole is one of our favorite teas to share with friends in the evening, when we want something non-caffeinated but quite…

Toffee Ole is one of our favorite teas to share with friends in the evening, when we want something non-caffeinated but quite flavorful.

— Joel R. Verified

Another full bodied ‘real tea’ . ie It is not a flavoured tea. However, we do very much enjoy the Cafe Latte tea which is a…

Another full bodied ‘real tea’ . ie It is not a flavoured tea. However, we do very much enjoy the Cafe Latte tea which is a flavoured tea!!!

— Ted H. Verified

teas

love , love, love and they shipping is very fast. the headache tea works great, the throat coat tea works great as well

— Miranda A. Verified

4 stars

It worked beautifully; perhaps if I add a little more honey, it would make it better… It is a wellness tea, after all!

— Merrilee B. Verified

Bancha with a splash of lemon

A wonderful Green Tea. Smooth in taste. Also suitable as a summer tea with a splash of lemon. A second infusion makes an…

A wonderful Green Tea. Smooth in taste. Also suitable as a summer tea with a splash of lemon. A second infusion makes an enjoyable second cup!

— Monika F. Verified

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